14. Menopause Hormone Therapy and the Study That Scared Women with Dr. Emily McInnis

📺 Watch the Video on Spotify & YouTube"It's not your job to diagnose yourself. You come to me if anything's off," says Emily McInnis, an OB/GYN at Lee OB, who joins Nonet Reese on Start a Conversation to talk about women's health in October and why menopause and hormone therapy are finally getting attention. A DO who attended Auburn University, she urges women to speak up about their symptoms and to keep up with mammograms and screenings during breast cancer awareness month.Emily describes canceling all of her interviews late in medical school after delivering a baby with Kenny Harris, a choice that steered her away from reconstructive surgery. She also recalls being one of 10 VCOM students in a pilot group that rotated at East Alabama in 2012 and 2013, before the Auburn campus existed. Her exam rooms carry a QR code linking menopausal patients to Dr. Mary Claire Haver's podcast, Unpaused, which she assigns as homework.5 Key TakeawaysBe willing to change course when firsthand experience shows you a better fit, even late. After a simple, joyful delivery with Dr. Kenny Harris, Emily canceled her reconstructive surgery interviews and called her school administrator to redirect, during one of her last rotations.People surrounded by conflicting information value one advisor they trust. Her patients tell her it is so nice to have someone they trust answer their questions instead of sorting through so many opinions on the internet, and she counts that among her best compliments.Look at the whole picture, because a simple approach sometimes works when the usual fix fails. A VCOM speaker described a plantar fasciitis patient who, after medications failed, cured it by rolling his foot nightly on a frozen tennis ball.Old research can keep people afraid of options newer studies support, so review them with a physician. A '90s study scared a generation off hormonal therapy; she now hands menopausal patients a QR code to Dr. Mary Claire Haver's podcast, Unpaused, as homework.Take care of yourself first and tell your doctor when something feels off, since diagnosing it is not your job. This October, get your mammograms and screenings, and mention symptoms like a short fuse or breast tissue that feels different. Memorable Quotes"I feel like I do have that ability ... hold somebody's hand while I tell them that they have ovarian cancer, and then go then into the next room to an infertility patient that's pregnant and get to celebrate with her.""I had two people today that tell me that they don't feel crazy anymore because they started hormonal therapy.""You have got to make sure that you are mentally and physically healthy before you can make sure that the people around you are."Connect with EmilyInstagram: https://instagram.com/emily_mcinnis7?xtok=dDd4emEzcGw3aW11Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19ikGv4tuB/?mibextid=wwXIfrResources MentionedLee OB/GYN: the OB/GYN practice where Emily McInnis works, also called Lee Obstetrics and GynecologyAuburn University: where Emily McInnis attended collegeVCOM: osteopathic medical school; Emily McInnis attended the South Carolina campus and was in the pilot group of third-year students for the Auburn campusEmory University: hosted a two-week summer program where students saw different hospital specialtiesUnpaused: podcast by OBGYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver about menopauseFDA: agency Dr. Mary Claire Haver is lobbying in Washington DC to cover testosterone for womenBreast cancer awareness month: October focus on getting mammograms and screeningsNonet ReeseLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nonetparmerreese/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonetparmerreeseYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@threesixtyauburnThree Sixty Real EstateWebsite: https://concepttoclosing.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/concepttoclosing/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threesixty.realestate.eal/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/three-sixty-development-sales-management/Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/profile/ThreeSixtyRealEstate🎙️🎙️🎙️Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast: https://fullcast.coDiscover the best podcast services in the world at The Podosphere: https://www.thepodosphere.com/